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Saturday, December 10, 2011

Tender coconut pudding

Disclaimer: So we are both as alike as chalk and cheese. Or maybe dog and chimp. Or pineapple and mango. Or Chennai and NY. But we both have our favorite food we absolutely dig and this is one’s for nonstick, my partner in crime amongst many other things.

Most of the credible looking recipes that I’d bookmarked for a tender coconut pudding called for china grass or agar-agar as the setting agent. Unfortunately, I live in a city which thinks that it is required to stock up on agar agar only during Eid (I know! Duh!) anyway, so that meant improvise and much as I dislike using gelatin, I had no other go when darling husband came home with a ‘very pleased with myself’ look on his face and a container full of lucious tender coconut meat and a jar full of tender coconut water: so that his wife can make his beloved tender coconut pudding. Don’t go about judging us, just yet. we are not the ‘typical mallus’ (how I cringe at that categorical phrase!) and eat everything cooked in coconut oil and/or have a tub of coconut oil in our pantry. Nor do we look down upon the folks who do it. It just does not float our boat. My mom hardly used coconut oil in the kitchen and i think we are all at least a tad like our moms, at least in the kitchen to say the least. So moving on, the adventurous wife set out, armed with google and the tender coconut junkie Sous Chef alongside (yes she can smell tender coconut water a mile away and will happily finish enough coconuts that will put any human to shame). Can I make the ultimate tender coconut pudding? Turns out heck, I can! :D

What you will need:

-1 cup tender coconut water

-2 cups tender coconut meat (Make sure you get the translucent and delicate meat rather than the thick, ‘is it coconut or is it tender coconut?’ flesh).

-1/2 cup milk

-3/4 cup condensed milk

-1/3 cup sugar

-3 teaspoons gelatin

Purée the 2 cups of tender coconut meat with required tender coconut water till smooth and no pieces remain. Pass it through a sieve to get rid of any solids per se and keep aside.

Heat ¼ cup tender coconut water for a minute and turn off the flame. Dissolve the gelatin and stir well. This mix will smell (believe you me!). I added a dash of vanilla extract to counter that. Keep aside.

Heat the ½ cup milk, the 1/3 cup sugar and the ¾ cup condensed milk in a saucepan, stir and keep aside to cool.

Mix the tender coconut purée with the milk mix. Taste to check the sugar, add more if needed.

Now all that remains is the mixing: Make sure all the major components are at the same temperature when mixing, lukewarm and lukewarm, room temp and room temp etc.

Add the gelatin mix to the coconut purée mix and stir thoroughly. Pour in individual serve glasses and freeze for the first twenty minutes and then move it to the refrigerator compartment for another couple of hours to allow it to set.

And there you go, tender coconut pudding!

P.S: I added some caramel brittle as garnish for a difference in texture and it added more depth of flavor as a bonus.

Hey Kajal, why the heck aren't we best friends?? I absolutely LOVE tender coconut pudding. And in your first picture, the crack in the caramel. . .sigh... is the stuff dreams are made of!

I first ate tender coconut pudding at Fruit shop and then tried making it at home. The first time, it was a flop because the china grass I had with me was pista flavored and I had no idea! Then last week I made it again, with gelatin this time,and it was wonderful!

Dear Tina: Thanks so much! it was over in no time in our house! :D FoodEpix: Thanks! i just did! :)Deepa: LOL! Pavan loves the Fruitshop tender coconut pudding as welland hence the attempt. its so cool it turned out great for u. also, am looking for china grass. where'd you get yours from?@Peasepudding: Thanks so much! :) You have awesome recipes too! and is this a coincidence or what? came upon ur strawberry verrine recipe today morning when i was looking for a good verrine recipe. My mousse and jelly are setting in the refrigerator as we speak!

Dear Non-Stick..I tried your recipe out with tender coconuts straight from our very own coconut trees, and it came out fab. But can you let me in on how you make that caramel brittle? I caramelized ground cashew instead and added it as a crunchy topping, but the brittle looks nice too.

Hey Prithika! Thanks, glad you loved it too :) The caramel brittle is no biggie: bring sugar to a boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan, cook till it turns light yellow. Add in the nuts if you want, now. Cook till it turns a light amber. Take off the flame and pour over the pudding, or onto a greased baking sheet. Let cool and that's all! Tasted yum, offset the creaminess of the pudding in a nice way :)